August f



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST F. W. PARTZ, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE PARTZELECTRIC BATTERY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

VOLTAIC BATTERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 347,440, dated August17, 1886.

Application filed November 4, 1884. Serial No. 147,171. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, AUGUST F. W. PARTZ, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented anew Voltaic Battery, of which the following is a full and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawing. A Whenusing an ordinary Bunsen or Poggendorff battery, in which carboncathodes are depolarized by either nitric or chromic acid, one isobliged, in order to obtain its full effect, to supply it with thenormal quantity of acid for however short a time-it may he wanted, andunless it be emptied after having done its work the liquids, verticallyseparated by porous partitions, will soon diffuse and material bewasted. For this reason, and to avoid the resistance of porous claycells, diverse modifications of Grenets dip-battery have become thefavorite means of generating strong electric currents for temporaryapplications, though the periods of their employment are inconvenientlylimited by a speedy decrease of power, owing partly to the direct attackof sulphuric and chromic acid upon the anodes and partly to thedeposition of chrome-alum upon the cathodes.

The object of my invention is to provide a battery of the Bunsen typewhich without detriment to its strength of current may be supplied withthe acid intended for the depolarization of the cathodes each time inproportion to the work it is designed to do, which does not require tobe emptied, nor that the anodes be taken out during intervals of rest,and wherein the formation of chrome-alum may be avoided by thesubstitution for sulphuric of hydrochloric acid, which latter can butrarely be employed in batteries of the usual make on account of itsfumes. I attain that object by a battery of the said type, in which Ihave applied the gravity principle in a somewhat similar way as it hasbeen applied by Meidinger, Galland, and others in their batteries of theDaniell type, and which may be called an acid gravity-battery.

My invention consists in a combination, in a voltaic element of theBunsen type, with a horizontal anode suspended in the containingvesseland a horizontal cathode of carbon lying upon its bottom and holding afirmly-inserted upright rod of carbon, which projects from the elementand forms its positive pole, of

a vertical tube of glass, designed to convey 5 through the dilute acidor alkaline solution with which the vessel is primarily supplied theheavier depolarizing -liquid to the said cathode, so that it may spreadover the same in a separate layer, and specific gravity thus be causedto perform the service of a porous diaphragm.

The drawing hereto represents a vertical section of a voltaic elementembodying my invention.

V is a vessel of glass or other suitable material; F, a cover ofvarnished wood or ebonite.

O is a cathode of carbon lying upon the bottom of the vessel and holdinga carbon rod, 0, which is firmly inserted therein, and, extend- 7o ingthrough the cover F, has a binding-screw,

r, for the positive-pole wire attached to it. The cathode C may beperforated with a number of holes like a, to increase its surface andform recesses for the depolarizing-liquid with which it is to becovered.

A is an anode, either of zinc or of iron, according to the intendedchemical character of the apparatus, and into it is screwed a rod, a, ofthe same metal as A. To this rod is fastened a nut with a broad base, 6,by means of which the anode is suspended from the cover F, and to thenut is joined a binding-screw, s, for the negative-pole wire. The rod ashould be coated with paraffine or some other protecting 8 substance, sothat it may be used again when a nearly-consumed anode is replaced by anew one. When the apparatus is not to be employed for some length oftime and still contains unconverted acid, the anode ought to be 0 liftedout of the liquid, and to this end the rod a is provided with a hole,1), in which after the anode has been raised a pin is inserted above thecover F.

For the purpose of maintaining the amal- 5 gamation of anodes of zincthey are cast with a groove, u, into which is put some mercury.

T is a tube, most suitably of glass, suspended from the cover F by meansof a rubber ring,

t. It terminates below in a narrow outlet, so that when an acid which isto effect the depolarization of the cathode is poured into it the samemay issue therefrom without agitating the liquid already contained inthe element. The tube may also be made with a much wider outlet thanshown in the drawing, or even throughout of equal width, if it be stoodupon the cathode 0 instead of being suspended.

p is a cork soaked in molten paraffine, intended mainly to prevent theescape of fumes when the tube contains hydrochloric or nitric acid.

lVithout confining myself to the use of any particular materials aselectrolytes, or to any special mode of their application, I. willbriefly set forth various ways in which the described apparatus may becharged and operated on the general principle that the anode besurrounded by a liquid in which it will dissolve when the conditions aregiven for galvanic action, and that the cathode be covered with astratum of a dcpolariziug-acid which keeps practically separate from theupper liquid by difference of specific gravity.

When the anode is of zinc, Isupply the vessel V to the height indicatedby the broken line 00 as with dilute sulphuric acid, or a solution of analkaline sulphate or chloride, and pour nitric acid or drop crudechromic acid into the tube T; or I cover the cathode O with crystals ofbichromate of potash, fill the vessel to the indicated height with asolution of an alkaline sulphate or chloride, and pour slightly-dilutedsulphuric or hydrochloric acid into the tube,-thus causing a layer ofeither chromic or chlorochromic acid to be formed upon the cathode. Whenthe anode is of iron, I supply the vesselV with a solution of analkaline chloride, preferably that of s0dium,and pour a saturatedsolution of ferric chloride containing a small percentage ofhydrochloric acid into the tube T.

I am aware that vertical glass tubes have heretofore been used incombination with vertical metallic cathodes, and also in elements withporous cells with vertical cathodes of carbon. It will be seen that theobject of my invention could not be attained with such devices, since itnecessitates the use of horizontal cathodes as alone suited for theemployment of depolarizing-acids on the gravity principle.

I claim as new- A voltaic battery on the gravity principle, comprising azinc electrode supported in the upper part of the containing-vessel, anda carbon electrode in the lower part of the containing-vessel, thecarbon electrode being provided with a carbon conductor leading throughthe excitingfiuid, an acid-proof tube extending from a point above thelevel of the fluid and having a discharge-opening near the level of thecarbon electrode, and an acid-depolarizer contained in said tube andaround the carbon, substantially as set forth.

AUGUST F. WV. IARTZ.

Witnesses:

FRANK Loco, MARTIN SEIDENSTICKER.

